It's the latest "get in your computer" scam. Instead of them calling you, you call them.
Data Doctors Ken Colburn says he's seeing a lot of people fall for it.
Colburn explained that scammers plant traps across the internet. If you hit this one, a warning pops up saying you have a virus. There's an 800 number to call for help from Microsoft.
And that's where the scam begins.
Clicking can freeze your computer. Calling can allow scammers in, and lead to them taking hold of your computers threatening to not release it until you pay them.
Or they can plant something and monitor your moves. Remember, Microsoft is too big to monitor your computer for viruses. They do not want people calling them and there would never be a human being answering immediately.
These are all huge red flags.
If you get caught in this, shut down your computer immediately. When you turn it back on, run the security protection that you installed and consider taking the computer to a trusted expert to see if any damage was done.
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